"I find it very unfortunate that this entire discussion has come to focus on who blew [the pipelines] up, rather than who built them," Heorhii Tykhyi told the BBC, forcefully.

He argued that Nord Stream had "untied Russia's hands" to go to war, because it no longer needed to transit Ukraine for its gas to reach Europe.

"Did we warn about this? We did," Tykhyi wanted to know. "Did anyone listen to us? No, no-one did."

 

Despite withdrawing its branding as an official supporter, the EU continues to fund the conference.

A diplomatic source at France’s foreign ministry said “there’s absolutely no reason for us to change our commitments” when it came to supporting the conference.

“We stick to supporting civil society. It’s not just principled, it’s operational,” she said, adding that the conference was a “laboratory” that helped Europe develop key policy around disinformation.

 

The Halkalı–Kapıkule railway project covers approximately 231 kilometres between the Istanbul area and the Bulgarian border. It is divided into two main sections: Halkalı–Çerkezköy and Çerkezköy–Kapıkule. Construction of the latter, which is 153 kilometres long, is co-financed by the European Union and Turkey.

According to official project information, the line is designed as a double-track railway for passenger and freight services, with a design speed of up to 200 km/h. These technical specifications apply to the project as a whole and should not automatically be taken as a guaranteed operating speed for every train along the entire route.

 

A civilian cargo ship has sunk and its crew is missing after being attacked by drones in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.

A second vessel - carrying grain - was also hit within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. Its 18 crew were rescued.

Radev did not say who was behind the attacks, which come as Russia intensifies strikes in the Black Sea, particularly the eastern side, as part of its war against Ukraine.

 

He also challenged the human-rights argument behind the demand, saying politicians should not be responsible for determining whether a community's rights have been violated. He pointed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Council of Europe as the institutions responsible for assessing such issues.

 

Russian state media have brought into the open a conflict between the Ministry of Defense and the Chechen unit Akhmat, along with its commander, Apti Alaudinov. Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazanskyi has reported on renewed tensions between Russian authorities and the Chechen formation Akhmat, including with its leader Alaudinov. According to Kazanskyi, there are moves to bring the unit fully under the command structure of Russia's Ministry of Defense, stripping Chechen authorities of their previous influence in the military sector.

Kazanskyi cited reports in Russian Telegram channels describing a dispute between Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and Alaudinov. The Russian Ministry of Defense has launched what it calls a "sweeping purge" within Akhmat, with plans to require its leadership to meet the same standards enforced on other Russian units.

 

Whereas India wants the war to end, China has no problem with letting the fighting continue. These positions have less to do with how China and India each feel about Russia and more to do with how they feel about each other.

For decades, Russia has been one of the few major powers that India could count on to help counterbalance China. The bilateral relationship amounted to a buffer and a hedge, ensuring that instead of being squeezed by its larger neighbor, India retained some geopolitical room to maneuver. But this system cannot work if Russia is hollowed out and dependent on China. And that is precisely the outcome the Ukraine war has produced.

BIRN on Hashim Thaci (balkaninsight.com)
 

This focus page brings together BIRN’s key reporting on the trial, including expert analysis and reportage as well as reports from the courtroom, giving an insight into the proceedings and the issues behind them – which continue to have an impact, more than a quarter-century after the war.

 

Jović invited “Katya” to meet. During their meeting, he spoke about his pro-Russian activities and hinted at the involvement of Russian intelligence agencies. Asked directly whether intelligence agencies in Moscow were directing his social media activity, he said, “Nobody knows. Well, I don’t know — in theory. In practice, I do know.” Later, when Geray approached him under her real name as a reporter, he denied taking part in a pro-Russian campaign.

 

На този фон Черно море е особено уязвимо: то е най-бързо затоплящото се море в Европа, а наситеният му с кислород слой намалява. Бързото му затопляне е своеобразен поглед в бъдещето, който ни показва какви биха били глобалните последствия от климатичните промени за морските екосистеми.

Черноморският басейн вече е подложен на множество натрупващи се натоварвания. Неговите екосистеми са преживяли един срив в края на 20-ти век. Причината е натрупването на няколко човешки въздействия: натоварване с азот и фосфор от интензивно земеделие, свръхриболов и инвазивни видове. В момента те са успели – повече или по-малко, да се възстановят, но морето все още е подложено на стрес от замърсяване, урбанизация на крайбрежието и туризъм.

 

Is it Serbian politicians or society that has chosen the confrontation of the past over the unification of the future?

“The glorification surrounding [Mladić’s] death is incompatible with the values on which the EU path is built,” said Kos. “That path requires confronting the past, genuine reconciliation and respecting the victims of war crimes. The values that underpin our common future are not negotiable.”

Mladić was arrested in Serbia in 2011 after 16 years as a fugitive, and sentenced by a UN tribunal in the Netherlands to life imprisonment in 2017.

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